Yusaku Matsuda is Spike

Yeah, this again. I know some folks who I know from imdb.com are probably tired of me beating this dead horse (in which case, I’ll understand if you skip this entry). The subject comes up in the Live Action movie board about how terrible people think Keanu would be as Spike, so folks offer up their own choices for casting. To many Western eyes, Spike is a Caucasian, MAYBE mixed Asian/Caucasian. It’s my belief that listening to the dubbed soundtrack adds to this impression, but of course, my listening to the Japanese soundtrack no doubt adds to mine, so there you have it.

I’m not sure what some people think Japanese people look like, but I can definitely see the late Mr Matsuda in Spike. The image attached to this posting is one I snagged from a video tribute to the man on youtube.

For those who don’t have the movie on DVD and missed the extras that come with it, here is the extra where the creators (Director Watanabe, character designer Kawamoto and actor Yamadera as Spike) talk about the design of Spike: The Creators talk about Spike and his inspiration.

Am I posting this entry to prove a point? A point that doesn’t need to be made, much less proved? Don’t know yet. Most likely I am, but I really feel like saying it. So there.